The Messenger
by akiraYuan
Summary: Kyo receives messages from an unknown source. The only thing is, he doesn't know whether the messages are for him or is he supposed to be delivering the message...
1. Chapter 1: The First Message

Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and all the characters in it nor the quote "Follow the white rabbit".

AN: Hi, this is my first story. I'm still working on the flow of the story and I will try to make it as interesting as possible. I have bottles and bottles of idea in my head but I'm not good at writing it. Hahaha. I'm an amateur here so, Yoroshiku Tanomu 'su! Enjoy. Please Read and Review.

**Chapter 1: The First Message**

He was afraid to go in but he just wanted to tell him that he's leaving. He heard the sound of his fingers stomping on the keyboard, a sign of anger which delivers the message of "Do not bother me now or I'll break your neck". He sighed and pushed the door open. He can only see his crimson eyes behind the mountains of files and papers.

"You're still here?"

"Aa.." he replied without even looking at the person speaking, still pounding on the keyboard, probably with the intention of pulverizing it.

"I'll help you… that is, if you want me to" said the little brother.

"Just shut up and leave already," he seems to be annoyed now.

"I'll see you later then," said Kyoushiro leaving his brother behind. He stopped abruptly remembering what their father had told him earlier, "Father is expecting you at dinner tonight, Kyo". He knew his older brother couldn't be bothered about it.

"_Damn that old man, making me do all these work!"_

Another 'annoying creature', as he put it, could be heard walking and humming happy tunes along the hallway. He knew this one will be coming here soon.

"Kyo-san, I'm leaving too," a raven haired beau (self-proclaimed), suddenly popped from the door. "Don't fall asleep and drool on the papers.. huhu 3"

". . ."

"Yukimura-sama, the car is ready," said Saizou.

"Ah~ Ah~ I'm going now Kyo-san. See you tomorrow. Toodle~" waved Yukimura as he walked to the lift. Kyo could still hear him talking to Saizou about the new jazz club and all the ladies he intended to meet later.

As they were walking to the car, Yukimura said, "I should have invited Kyo-san to go drinking with me tonight. Kyo-san sure works hard today ey, Saizou"

"Yes, Yukimura-sama"

They left.

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"_One after another, these maggots keeps on bothering me," he muttered to himself._

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"_And another one. Just when I thought I was the only one left," _he thought.

"Who's there?" he asked. A newly received email appeared in his inbox.

"Howh… what's this?" said Kyo as he read the content.

_Onime no Kyo._

_Open the door._

Kyo ignored the message and continued with his work. Another email was sent to him by an unknown sender. He wondered who the hell would play a prank like this late at night. The message this time was, to open the door again. He decided to play along. There was no one there.

"Seriously, someone is tired of living," he grunted. As he was about to close the door, he looked down and saw a box sitting in front of him. _**Onime No Kyo**_ was written on it. He carried the box to his table and ripped it open. There were layers of wrapping papers and boxes. In the end, he was left with an envelope which consists of a single piece of paper.

_Walk into the dark narrow path._

_Follow the White Rabbit._

Kyo stared at the paper in his hand. He lit a cigarette and laid himself comfortably on the leather sofa. "Dark narrow path… White Rabbit….." he said to himself. He gave it a long thought almost to the point of losing his temper but loosen up when he felt he was getting too deep into the crappy prank. His eyes were closed now and he's mentally stabbing someone who has the potential of orchestrating this practical joke, _Yukimura_. Suddenly, the phone rang and robbed him from his _almost _sadistic mind. He looked at the caller ID and it was Bontenmaru.

"How about a drink tonight, Ni-chan yo," said the voice over the phone.

"Hmph. I'll meet you there," Kyo replied and the conversation ended there.

He turned off the lights and walked to the door, grabbing his coat on the way. He remembered the paper he placed on the table and reluctantly walked back to take it. Why did this thing bother him so much, was the question that keeps on playing on his mind. He placed it in his pocket and walk down the long hallway to the lift. When he reached the lobby, he stopped to look at the big clock. It's 11.30pm.

"Good Night, Kyo-sama" said the security as he passed and swiped his card to the reader, next to the glass door. The valet shuts the door of his black Bentley and he drove off to the place he was supposed to meet Bontenmaru, The Black Alley.


	2. Chapter 2: The Actual White Rabbit

Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and the characters in it.

A/N: Hi again. Here's the second chapter where Kyo meets Yuya. Haha. Well, enjoy this chapter and please review. Thanks.

**Chapter 2:The Actual White Rabbit**

Kyo stood in front of the crowds. The valet took his key and he strode to the club. He looked up and stared at the insignia "The Black Alley. Restaurant & Bar.". _What an ominous name… _he thought. "Ominous. Black. Dark. Of course" he murmured, remembering the message in his pocket. He took it out and read it "Walk into the dark narrow path. Dark narrow path. The Black Alley. Hmph," he smirked. "Pretty smart," he continued. Kyo spotted Bontenmaru chugging his second glass of beer.

"What took you so long, Kyo? Had to sneak out of your bedroom? Or did you have to take your little brother to the bathroom because he's afraid of the dark tonight? Both of you are such sissies" he slurred.

"I was doing your sister, punk" Kyo retorted

"What the f – Wait…. I don't have a sister. Nice excuse. I look forward to tomorrow's. Looks like you're in **that** mood again tonight. Did Daddy Muramasa leave you in charge again today?" Bontenmaru asked, knowing that his joke was pretty bad.

"That old man…"

"Excuse me, anything I can get you Sir?" said a waitress in a pink bunny girl suit.

Kyo turned. "A bunny girl…"

"Kya~ Su~ke~be~ yahnn~ Maybe after my shift, handsome~" said the waitress sprawling all over Kyo. Kyo took her hand and dragged her to the dark corner.

"Yo Kyo. A bunny girl? You're pretty disturbed tonight huh – O… Oi.. Kyo," Bontenmaru stood up from the stool and walked over to stop Kyo.

"WHO SENT YOU?? WHO SENT YOU BITCH?!" his hand was on her neck, almost strangling her.

"I..d..don.."

"Kyo! Let go of her. Are you trying to kill her?!" Bontenmaru struggling to get Kyo's hand off of the girls neck.

"Ha.... ughh… I'm…. I'm…. I'm just here to get your order and to pass you this," she handed him an empty beer bottle with a roll of paper in it. Kyo took out the paper and there was another message for him.

_11-L4. Tokiwa. Helpless little bird._

"Shit! Another one of this stupid thing! Who asked you to give this to me?" he crumpled the paper in his hand.

"A .. a lady. She's gone. She said to pass this to you. Excuse me. I got to go," said the waitress as she walked quickly to the back door.

"Uh.. Kyo. What are you guys talking about? What is that? What's going on?" Bontenmaru stated his curiousity. Kyo did not answer. He didn't want to tell anyone about the stupid messages which he faithfully believe that it's a prank from someone who really wish to see how hell looks like. They returned to the counter and resume drinking in an awkward silence.

----------------------------

Clank! A tray flew across the counter. Kyo and Bontenmaru turned to where the sound came from. Kyo's eyes opened wide, "The white rabbit"

"You son of a bitch!" she exclaimed as her palm landed on a fat bastard's face.

"Shiina Yuya! What the hell are you doing?" said the manager.

"This bastard was groping me. Anyone would –"

"You are FIRED!"

"Hah?! But it wasn't my fault. I'm just defending myself from this pervert and… and… You're firing me??" Yuya said angrily.

"Get out of here Shiina Yuya!" the manager yelled to her.

Yuya left with a heavy heart. This is her last part-time job and she was fired for defending herself. How is she supposed to pay the rent and the tuition fee? She sat in the washroom for a while. "_What's going to happen to me? It's not easy to find another job that will fit with my classes. Hmm… no no no… I must calm down. I'll think about it when I get home,"_ she thought to herself. She went to the locker room, collected all her stuff, put on her trench coat and walked out of the bar from the emergency exit. As she opened the door, outside awaiting her was the fat pervert who was groping her in the bar with a band of yakuza.

"You think you can get away after all the commotion, bitch? Do you know who I am? This is my area and you just spread mud on my face," he said with his face so close to hers. "Aniki, let's just teach her a lesson," said another guy. "Yes… yes… we should," said the guy. Two other guys were holding her hands while the other gave her a hard slap He kicked her and hit her. "Let me go! Let me go you bastards!" He ripped her coat and pushed her to the ground. She was still in her bunny girl suit. "Not so tough now ha?" Yuya struggled and she managed to get up from the ground. Her nose and forehead were bleeding and there were bruises all over her body. "Still fighting huh? Maybe I should shoot those pretty legs of yours so you can't move," said the men taking out a gun and pointing it at Yuya.

"Get it over with then," a voice was heard behind the many men who were there.

"What? Which one of you dogs dare to say that to me?" said the man.

"What? Are you afraid to do it? Have you ever used a gun before? Are you all talk then?"

Kyo showed up followed by Bontenmaru. The man grabbed Yuya and pointed the gun on her head. "Of course I have. Who the hell are you? Is she your bitch?"

Kyo sighed. One of the men took out a katana and started attacking Kyo but unfortunately he was out in a split second. Kyo took the katana and said "I could use some exercise. Who wants to die first?"

"You bastard! Get them!" The men all attacked Kyo and Bontenmaru but there were defeated effortlessly. "Get out of here or I'll shoot her!" shouted the man.

"Do it already," said Kyo, lighting his cigarette. He picked up a gun from one of the unconscious guys and drew closer to the man. The man trembled as Kyo pointed the gun to his forehead. "Your eyes. Don't look at me. Don't look at me you demon! Don't do it! Don't do it!" said the man as he lets go of Yuya. "BANG" said Kyo and the man screams and ran. "Hmph," Kyo smirked and dropped the gun on the ground.

Yuya fell on her knees and her face was solid white. Bontenmaru walked to her and helped her up. She looked at Kyo and then looked at the 'corpse' on the ground. "Th… Thank you," she said. Kyo didn't answer and he just walked away.

"Let's go Bon," he said.

"You… you don't have to kill them you know!" she said. "I thank you for saving me. But you don't have to – "

"It's not like I do it to save you. They're just crowding the street," he finally answered. "They are not dead."

Yuya looked at them again. The men were breathing. _They are not dead. But it looks like he really did kill them, _she thought to herself. Kyo stopped. He suddenly remembers the message. _Follow the white rabbit._ He walked to her and was about to ask her who was behind all the pranks but decided to use a different approach. He thought maybe she doesn't know too. He asked her if she could walk and she said she could but she's gonna sit for a while because her feet were badly swollen. He was really not in a good mood and was going to leave her but his conscience stopped him from doing so. He hated it when his mind starts playing the 'contemplating game'. He carried her and walked to his car. Bontenmaru left him when he told him that he was going to send Yuya home.

"What the hell are you doing?! Let me down! I can walk," Yuya said hitting him with whatever energy that's left in her._ "Princess cradle??!"_ she thought.

"Hmph. You said that bastard was fondling you back there. What was he thinking? You're nothing but a brick wall," said Kyo squeezing one of her assets.

"Hyann~" Yuya reacted. "You.. You! You! YOU!!! What the hell are you doing?!" She was shocked herself. Why the hell did she reacted that way. "Let go of me!" And he did. He dropped her like a log on the ground. "That hurts you know!"

"Get in car," he said.

"Why the hell would I want to get in a car with another pervert?" she said angrily.

"Just get in the car will you," he was really holding back. He's running out of patience now.

"F…Fine," she obediently opened the door and sit in the back seat. She thought it would be a good thing that she doesn't have to walk 17 blocks in her current state. She would take the train but it was late. She would ride a cab but she's broke and just got fired from her last part time job.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kyo asked angrily. "Do I look like a driver to you?"

"You asked me to get in the car and I am in the car," she answered him with a straight face.

A vein popped on his forehead. "Get to the front, dogface."

"D…Dogface?!" She climbed to the front seat and Kyo drove off.

"Where's your place?" he asked.

"11-L4, Tokiwa Street"

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**Please review. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Unfortunate Fate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and the characters in it.**

A/N:Chiwa'su. Thanks for the reviews. m(_ _)m. Sorry for the late update. I was extremely busy with work and all but this chapter is a bit longer than usual =D. And to LordPiyoPiyo, you should re-read SDK, Ototo yo. Here's the third chapter. I'll work harder next time. Please Read and Review. Enjoy.

**Chapter 3: Unfortunate fate**

Kyo tried to digest what just came out from Yuya. _Did she just say 11-L4 Tokiwa Street?_ He let his mind slipped again.

"Hey, it's green now," Yuya shook his arm.

The 20 minutes journey to Tokiwa Street felt like a hundred years of sufferings for Yuya. She tried to talk to Kyo but he didn't respond to anything at all so she kept quiet. She wished that he could at least turn on the radio but was too afraid to ask. He is after all a stranger that happened to saved her from some thugs, or so she thought. Kyo took a right turn and they finally arrived at Tokiwa Street. Yuya asked him to stop by the old Tokiwa Apartment, the place where she currently resided. The building was old and grubby.

"Do you want to come up? For coffee at least," Yuya said politely.

"In that dump? Not in this lifetime," he replied bluntly.

"Fine," she chocked out and got out of the car. She turned once again to thank him but he was gone. "I didn't even know his name," she said softly, dragging herself up the stairs to the 4th floor of the old flat. When she reached her small one room apartment, she threw herself on the couch.

"What kind of mess did I get myself into now?" she talked to herself.

She laid flat on her stomach and stared on the wall. There were pictures of her late brother and her friends. She missed them. She remembered the times when her brother was still alive before she had to move to this town. She couldn't go back. She's got no one to go back to. Even when trouble tagged along, she's got no one to turn to. For no reason at all, an uninvited image of Kyo popped into her mind. She shook her head and cursed under her breath. She got up and grabbed the newspaper. "Time to look for another job."

Kyo didn't go back to his father's place that night. He went back to his own place and deliberately did it to annoy his father. He checked his answering machine and had 14 messages which he knew were from his brother. He didn't even bother to check them. He didn't even bother to turn on his cellphone. He took a cold shower and went straight to bed knowing tomorrow was going to be another hell of a day.

-----------------------------------

The sound of the alarm could kill someone with a heart attack but Yuya was still on the couch. She wasn't sleeping, she just couldn't move. She finally rose from her uncomfortable sleeping position when the sun shone on her face._ It's too bright._ She made some coffee, took yesterday's newspaper and sat on the kitchen counter. She was up all night marking some of the advert in the classified section which she thought might be her potential new employer. Yuya took her cellphone and started calling some firms and agencies but most of them required someone who would work full time. She's done with working at bars and clubs and she didn't want to be in trouble anymore. The last number on her list belonged to a huge corporation which advertised on a part-time personal assistant opening.

"Good Morning, Mibu Corps. How may I help you?"

Yuya swore she could 'hear' the person smiling. "Er.. Hi. My name is Shiina Yuya. I saw the advert on yesterday's newspaper and I would like to –"

"Oh. Could you hold on a second? I will pass your call to the department in charge," the person talking to her rapidly connected her line to the HR Department.

"_Jeesh.. She didn't even let me speak,"_ she thought to herself. She was entertained by some music before somebody answered the call.

"Hai' Hai'. This is Yukimura. The person in charge of this department is out for breakfast. I just happen to pass by so I answered the phone. May I know who's there?" he chirped.

"Er… My name is Shiina Yuya. I would like to enquire on – "

"Let me guess… The part-time PA post right? Yeah yeah. Please come for the interview. Is 11am ok for you?" he asked.

"I.. I…"

"Great! I'll see you then. I'm looking forward to it. Bye. Owh.. Don't forget to bring your CV," and he put down the phone.

Yuya went numb. She didn't even get to say anything over the phone. "Ah well, at least I get to go for the interview. It's worth trying," she thought and immediately ran to the bathroom. She was in a good mood finally, hoping that today will be a good day.

-----------------------------------------------------

"Please obochama. My family needs me. My son is terribly sick. I have to leave. I have to quit because there's no one else who can take care of my son," Shima-bachan was on her knees.

"Shima-bachan, please… It's okay. We understand. Well, I'm sure he'll understand. Don't worry about it. He'll find someone else who will do his laundry and clean his room and cook for him. Besides, he's not an 'obo-chan' anymore Shima-bachan. Stop pampering him. He's all grown up now. In fact, he should be able to do everything himself. Right Kyo? Ahaha.. ha… ha ha…," Kyoshiro answered on behalf of his brother who's currently focusing on his laptop and not responding to anything that had been going on. Shima-bachan had told him the day before about her leaving but Kyo didn't say anything about it.

"I'm really sorry Kyo-bochama," Shima-bachan bowed and left the suite.

The sound of Shima-bachan's _geta_ was gone and Kyoshiro immediately turned to his brother. "Kyo… You could at least say something to the poor lady. She took care of you ever since you were 5. What were you thinking? I know you're mean but you don't have to be THAT mean. I can't believe she still calls you Kyo-bochama…"

"Whatever," Kyo tried to play it cool when the real fact was that he didn't know what to say to the lady who had taken care of him ever since he was 5, who comforted him when their mother died and had followed him faithfully when he decided to move to his own place. "Anyway, what the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to go to work already?"

"Ah… Yes. I've got a message for you from Dad. He said you don't have to come to work and he wanted me to see if you're okay. You've been working till midnight for 2 weeks now," Kyoshiro went to the kitchen, threw some pancakes on a plate and some maple syrup on it. "Also… I was hungry and I wanted to eat Shima-bachan's special pancake…. And to have known that she quit, ah…" He said sadly and sat next to Kyo. "Dad was not mad at you for not showing up last night. He knew you that you weren't gonna come"

"What makes you think that I care?"

Kyoshiro continued eating his pancake until there was no scrap of it left on the plate. "It's written all over your face," Kyoshiro burped. "That was good…. But… I'm never going to taste that flavor ever again…. Thanks to you," he sighed.

"What the fuck are you talking about? It's not that I asked her to leave nor did I want her to. Her son is sick. That's what she said. Live with it," Kyo said heavily.

"You're the one who won't be able to," said Kyoshiro. He looked at Kyo and realized he had the same expression as when their mother had passed on. Shima-bachan was in fact the only other person that Kyo trusted to be in his home besides his loyal companions. "_Not even me or dad",_ Kyoshiro thought. "Well, I'm leaving now. Thanks for breakfast. Don't worry about work"

"Just leave already"

"Owh… 'Please come to dinner tonight'. Another message from Dad"

"As if I would"

Kyo went back to his room without even taking his breakfast. Since he got the whole day by himself he thought he should stay in bed. He folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He didn't receive anymore messages after last night. What was that all about? He was in fact still curious about those messages. Did he not get anymore message because he didn't accomplish what he's supposed to accomplished? After he received the first message, he did go to The Black Alley and received another. He did save Dogface from those barfbags. He did send her to 11-L4, Tokiwa Street. Was there more to it? Did he miss anything in the message? He stood up and looked for the note that was in his jacket. He reread it many times and began to take it seriously. After 5 useless minutes staring at the notes and not getting anything out of it he decided go back to sleep. _I'm thinking too much. It's just a prank. _

---------------------------------------------------

"My name is Shiina Yuya and I'm in my final year of studies," Yuya said confidently when she was asked of her name.

"Ahahaha… Relax Yuya-san. Would you like some sake?"

"Er… no thanks," Yuya politely refused and in confusion.

"Anyway, I must tell you that for this job, you will only have to come after 5pm. The boss doesn't like to be bothered during office hours and he will need you from 5pm onwards, maybe until 11 or 12 am?"

Quick footsteps were heard approaching the room. Huffing and puffing, the man finally managed to gather some breath to speak. "Yukimura-han. What are you doing? Why are you conducting the interview without me? Wow! Who's the hottie?"

"You were taking your sweet little time in the cafeteria since breakfast. And look at the time now, it's almost lunch time. You're lucky that Kyo-san's not here. Besides, I wasn't the one who conducted the interview. It was over half an hour ago," Yukimura stood up and walked to Yuya's side. "Yuya-san, this is the Benitora-san. Benitora-san, this is Yuya-san, the interviewee for the PA post"

"Arghh… What a waste that you have to work for Kyo-han, if only Mahiro – "

"I heard that, Benitora-san. Yukimura-san, Benitora-san, please don't scare our new comer. Besides, both of you are not in the HR Department and you're missing the meeting with the boss," said a fine young lady who suddenly appeared at the door. "Shiina Yuya-san, I was informed that you've been interviewed and had completed the forms. Muramasa-san had signed the papers so, here's your offer letter and you can start work tomorrow," said Mahiro passing a brown enveloped to Yuya.

"Really??? I got the job?! Thanks," Yuya took out the papers in the enveloped. "Wow, this is too much for a part time job. I wasn't expecting this much for the pay."

"We need you immediately. Among all the other 16 interviewees, you're the only one who met the requirements. Yuya-san, this is not like any part time job. Brace yourself before you meet the devil himself," said Yukimura while walking Yuya to the hallway.

"Yukimura-san, Kosuke-san is looking for you" said Mahiro.

"Oh no… looks like the meeting is over. I got to go Yuya-san. I'll see you tomorrow," Yukimura strode to the other way and waved at Yuya. "Oh," he turned. "Welcome to Mibu Corps," Yukira smiled as Yuya went inside the elevator.

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It's Yuya's fourth day and her boss had yet to appear. "At least they let me work from 9am to 5pm so I can still do my part-time at the drive through from 7pm to 2am," she murmured to herself.

"Yuya-san, are you busy?" It was Yukimura.

"No. Not really. I was just helping Mahiro-san with the filing," Yuya answered as she turned around and her eyes met those of blue gaze.

"This is Mibu Kyoshiro. He's Muramasa-san's son."

"Hello Yuya-san. I'm Kyoshiro. I heard you're the new PA for the Managing Director. Nice to meet you," Kyoshiro bowed.

"Nice to meet you too," Yuya replied.

"He won't be coming today. He's at home sulking because our Shima-bachan just quit," Kyoshiro explained.

"Shima-bachan?" Yuya asked.

"Shima-bachan left??" Yukimura exclaimed.

"Yes, she did. A few days ago.." Kyoshiro and Yukimura were talking about things that Yuya didn't understand at all. "Oh, I'm sorry Yuya-san. Anyway, Kyo is coming tomorrow. So you can come at 5pm," Kyoshiro finally remembered what he was supposed to tell Yuya.

"Oh. Okay. Thanks for telling me," she answered with a smile fixed on her pretty face. "I have to help Mahiro-san with the filing. Excuse me," she walked towards the file room.

The next day, Yuya arrived at Mibu Corps at 4.30pm. Mibu Corps was busy as usual with everybody running here and there, trying to do work as much as possible before leaving. Yuya met Kosuke as she walked to her desk. She was surprised to see her desk was cleaned. No more papers. No 'In-Out' basket. No laptop. Nothing. She started to think that she was fired.

"No, no. Don't be silly Yuya-san. This was you temporary desk. Yuya-san, from today onwards, you're going to sit outside of Kyo-san's office. I'll show you to your new desk," Kosuke explained and walked Yuya to her desk.

"Wow… this is not a desk. This is… this is…" Yuya couldn't find any word to finish her sentence.

"If you need anything, you can ask from Nami, she's my assistant," said Kosuke.

"No. I don't think I need anything else," Yuya answered while her eyes were fixed on the huge door that has a nameplate "Managing Director" on it.

Yukimura's whining was heard from the long hallway. He was looking for Kosuke and was happy that he ran into Yuya as well. "Oh, Yuya-san! It's your first day meeting your boss, no? I'll accompany you," said Yukimura as he pushed the door opened. Yuya waited outside.

"Kyo-san~ I've brought you your new assistant!" he chirped.

"I don't remember hiring new ones. Where's Sho?" Kyo asked.

"You fired him last week. You said, he's a pathetic loser who's really stupid, even pigs have brain better than his and that he can't even do anything you asked him to. Also, you added "go kill yourself or go cry to your mother or go feed yourself to the dogs" something like that," Yukimura tried to remember word by word. Yuya, who was waiting behind the door, gulped.

"Oh. He was stupid. Besides, I want a woman to be my assistant. A good woman who can provide _good_ assistance," Kyo grinned. Yuya, still standing behind the door, was showered in sweat. _"What's up with this guy?! I can't stand to work with another asshole,"_ she thought.

"Kyo-san, you pervert. You didn't exactly oppose to the idea last time," Yukimura sat himself on the leather sofa, pouring himself some sake that was on the glass table.

"So? Where is this new guy?" Kyo asked.

"It's a girl. A pretty one in fact," Yukimura was sipping the small cup.

"Howh… Really?" Kyo smirked.

"Yuya-san~ You can come in now," Yukimura sang.

"_Yuya… Yuya…"_ Kyo repeated in his head. The door was opened. A small figured girl with blonde hair bowed immediately once she entered. "I'm Shiina Yuya" she said with her head low and her eyes closed. There was no respond from Yukimura or her new boss. Yuya lifted her head. She gasped and was stunned with the sight in front of her. Kyo walked slowly towards her.

"You. Are. Fired."

Yuya's eyes widened as those words hit her like thunder.

"K.. Kyo-san, what are you doing?" said Yukimura.

There was no answer. The two of them were standing and facing each other. The silence was so loud it ripped Yuya apart.


	4. Chapter 4: Fathers and sons

**Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and the characters in it. And I don't own Nero or Noritake. :D**

A/N: Chiwa'su. Thanks again for the reviews. =) Again, this one's a bit late... hehe. Here's the fourth chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 4: Fathers and sons**

The smell from his cigarette kills. No. It was not the smell, it was his attitude. The way he located his face too near to hers and the way he uttered those words. She wanted to strangle him, if he wasn't her boss. Kyo sat next to Yukimura. "I don't need her."

"I'm sorry Kyo-san, but it's an order from your father," Yukimura told Kyo as he looked at the stunned Yuya. She finally shut her wide opened mouth.

"Another attempt to annoy me? Fine then, but I'm sure you can look for another helper, Yukimura. A more diligent worker. Someone who is more reliable and will promise a good performance in everything," Kyo gulped on his sake.

"Wh.. What makes you think I'm not diligent?" Yuya finally uttered.

"You were fired from your previous job," Kyo replied, pouring some sake into his cup.

"You guys know each other?" Yukimura asked with a puzzled face.

"That doesn't mean I'm not diligent!" Yukimura was being ignored. "You don't even know me. You can't judge me just because you saw me being sacked. And… and.. just because I was caught up with some thugs and you saved –,"

"I didn't save you. Those scums were crowding the street"

"And…And calling my home a dump! That was rude. So you live a luxurious life… Do I look – "

"Ah… so you see the difference between our level and felt sorry for yourself for living in that trash house"

"You're such a brat!"

"… And a noisy, judgmental dogface"

"Okay… Okay… That's enough, both of you," Yukimura trying to stop them both from strangling each other with venomous words. "Yuya-san, didn't you say you really want this job, even after I've explained to you of how tough it can be with this royal pain being the boss," said Yukimura pointing at Kyo.

"Yukimura!" Kyo gave him a good glare.

Yuya sighed. She needed this job really bad but she already hated his guts. Of all the people in this world, why must it be this arrogant piece of work, she thought to herself. "I'm… I'm sorry. Look, I really… really… really need this job," her words ungenerously crawling out of her mouth blended with a slight sigh.

Kyo stared onto Yuya who managed to maintain a façade of indifference. She got some guts talking to him like that and she's not scared of his malevolence character. He thought about the coincidence of her being here and tried to relate to the messages. Kyo felt that he needed Yuya in order to look for the next clue for his ridiculous chain of conundrum. At the same time, he felt like he was being sucked into a world of pathetic-ness. He was being played by someone at some point and he was determined to find out who this person is. He so wanted to slowly torture this person.

"Very well then. You can start by clearing the table," Kyo pointed at his 'jungle of books and papers'. His brain was stricken by his act of succumbing to her plea.

"Thank you," Yuya bowed, hurried herself to Kyo's table and started filing and organizing the table. She kept reminding herself that this is necessary. "_This job is necessary, the money is necessary, the boss's attitude can be ignored,"_ Yuya quietly thought. Kyo let out a long sigh.

"Kyo-san, that mean-face of yours doesn't suit your warm heart," Yukimura tweeted and he was rewarded with Kyo's infamous death-stare.

It's only 9pm and Yuya was done with arranging Kyo's schedule for tomorrow. She knocked on his door and let herself in. Kyo was still signing some papers and reading some reports.

"Sir…"

"Kyo"

"K..Kyo. Is there anything else you need me to do?" she asked.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"No. Not now. I have another part-time job at 2am,"

"A strip club?"

"GOD no! What makes you think –" she sighed. "A drive thru,"

"Why do you need to go to another job? Your pay's not enough?"

"No. It's not that. I – "

"You can leave now."

"What? It's only 9pm."

"I'm leaving soon. You can leave now if you want"

Yuya looked at him. She felt a little guilty. She didn't want to tell him about being employed somewhere else but the contract didn't say that she can't be employed some other place and besides, her working hours was originally from 5pm to 12am. So it's not wrong. Yuya needed other jobs too. With school and all, she was only free to work after her classes. She needed money. Lot's of money. For school, for rent, for her living expenses but the most important thing is to find out what really happened to Nozomu, her brother. She didn't want to leave Kyo alone, not since he got a gazillion things to do and she was sure that he needed her help. She walked to him and refilled his empty mug.

"I'll be leaving now. Otsukare-sama," she told him and left.

------------------------------------------------

Shinrei walked out of his room and shut the door behind him slowly. The stairway was dark so he carefully took one slow step at a time and made sure that he didn't make any noise. As he reached the final three steps of the stairs, he tripped over the loose carpet, face hitting the ground. He cursed silently and blushed in the darkness. He was glad nobody caught him in such an embarrassing situation.

"Are you trying to sneak out again?" the squatting figure questioned the floor-eating Shinrei while looking blankly at the moon. Shinrei stayed still, face down. He didn't want to get up and he was hoping he could pretend to be dead. "Shinrei, you're not dead are you?"

"I'm not in high school anymore. I'm not sneaking out. I don't need to ask for permission to go out at night," Shinrei finally got up from the thwarting position and grumbled arrogantly.

"Then why are you acting like a cheese thief?" The figure stood up. His face illuminated by the moonlight.

"A cheese thief?" Shinrei looked at him intensely. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Didn't you say you hate to be here that you'd rather live in that dojo?"

"I was from the dojo. I left my toothbrush and toothpaste. So I came to get it," Hotaru looked at him with a straight face.

"I don't have time for this Keikoku. I'm running late," Shinrei walked to the huge door and disappeared. His brother walked up the stairs and then bent down to examine the loose carpet.

"This is dangerous. Even a rat can trip on its little feet. Be careful Shinrei, don't get caught," he murmured to himself and continued walking up the stairs. He stopped and turned to look at the door, "It's Hotaru, by the way."

Only God knew how he felt. His knees were shaking from excitement, his palms were sweating. His heart beat so fast, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. He stood in front of the door and contemplated on leaving. Shinrei was looking forward to this the whole week but why must he hesitate now? He received a text message from her earlier telling him that she already left work. He immediately called her and proposed to pick her up from her work place but she refused. Instead she told him to meet her at the fast food restaurant where they usually meet. He couldn't wait a second longer to see her. He missed her. Shinrei finally decided to leave the house and walked to his car when suddenly he was called by a familiar voice. He stopped but he didn't turn to look at the speaker.

"Are you going to meet that girl again, Shinrei-sama? Your foster father is going to be really upset," said Saisei.

"Saisei. I don't need to tell you or anyone where I'm going or what I'm doing. It's none of your concern," Shinrei stepped in his car. "And stop acting like my mother, because you are not." He slammed the door and drove off.

"Shinrei-sama…" Saisei clutched her chest.

Hotaru was observing the scene from the large glass window on the second floor. He knew he was not the only one who was watching Shinrei that night. He heard Fubuki talking to his associate in the other room and he didn't have to guess that it was about his brother who failed to complete his task. He walked closer to the room and leaned cautiously against the door.

"This matter needs to be taken care of immediately."

"Fubuki…"

"Shinrei failed to do it. He can never do it. Send someone else to do it fast, Hishigi"

"As you wish"

Hotaru walked away quickly as soon as he heard footsteps approaching the door. Fubuki and Hishigi were plotting something. Hotaru, despite the fact that he hated his brother, was not willing to let him suffer in the hands of the two evil minxes. If there was anyone who could ill-treat Shinrei it had to be him because torturing Shinrei was his job since he was born. _"It's a cold night," _he thought_. "Maybe somebody should turn on the heat"_

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Oya oya, this is a rare sight. Didn't lose your way this time?"

"If you think it's a joke, it's not funny," Kyo swept his bangs to the side and sat at the end of the long dining table across Muramasa. His father gave him the 'holier-than-thou' smile and invited him to sit closer. His brother was sweating in the cold room and praying hard that they would have a peaceful dinner and nobody would chock on the lobster and may tonight's _Noritake_ set be safe from harm. Kyo somehow abided his father's wish and sat across Kyoshiro.

"You were late. We had to wait for 2 hours. The food was getting cold but I'm glad you came. I was hoping that you could have dinner with us every night Kyo," Muramasa had started it. He pulled the trigger.

"If you'd not give me so many things to do, I might consider it," Kyo darted. His crimson orb stared those of his father's. The maids started serving the appetizers.

"If you'd go to work like a normal person and won't miss any meetings, maybe I would," Muramasa replied, still displaying the bright smiley face.

"I don't have to attend any meeting, this brat can go," Kyo pointed his fork at Kyoshiro.

"Well then, you can dream of getting less work if you keep on coming at 5pm," his father replied.

"Ok then. Don't expect me to show up here," Kyo leaned lazily in his chair as if he had lost his backbone. Kyoshiro swore that he saw a little pout on Kyo's frowning face. He rubbed his eyes and he wasn't dreaming. Kyo could act like a three year old but that would be rare. Really, really rare. And of course he would never do that in front of anyone especially not their father. Tonight somehow, the rare side of him appeared. The fact that he came to dinner tonight was probably because he missed Shima-bachan. He was exhausted and the last thing he needed was to have a stupid quarrel with his dad. This was why he hated coming here.

"I'm not the one who's missing the good food. Shima is not around anymore to cook dinner for you"

Kyo looked at his father. _"Tch. So he knew,"_ his mind spoke. He ignored his father's statement and continued eating. The dinner went well so far, nothing broken, no one chocked.

"Kyo, there is a letter for you. I don't know who it's from, must be from an old friend of yours if it's addressed here. I thought it's weird that people still send snail mail in this era" said Kyoshiro who finally managed to talk.

"_A letter?"_ Kyo finished his dinner quickly and hurried himself to the shelf where Kyoshiro said the letter was. The first thing that came to his mind was – another message. He opened the letter and found a small card inside. On the card was written "NERO".

"Nero?" said Kyoshiro.

"What the hell are you doing? Your face is too near, idiot!" Kyo pushed his brother's head away from his face and quickly put the card back in the envelope.

"Nero? Was that supposed to be a message?" Kyoshiro asked him.

"That's none of your concern," Kyo walked to the hallway.

"Nero, The Roman Emperor?" Muramasa suddenly appeared carrying a cup of warm milk.

"Nero is also a burning software that allows us to write songs, data, bla bla bla on DVDs and stuff" Kyoshiro answered with the word 'genius' written all over his face. Another death-stare thrown to him as a present from his 'loving' brother. "What? It's true."

"Nero was infamous for his tyranny and –," continued Muramasa.

"And was believed to be associated with the Burning of Rome," Kyo finished his father's sentence.

"The Burning of Rome. The burning of ROM. Hahaha.. Nero burned Rome. Nero burns ROM," said Kyoshiro bursting into a small self-satisfying laughter, before he curled into his shell of refuge from Kyo's wrath.

"He also killed his mother, wife and unborn child. Why the sudden discussion on Nero, Kyo? Kyoshiro?" asked Muramasa.

Kyoshiro shrugged. Kyo didn't answer. The only thing that came in mind when he saw the word "Nero" was fire. Fire. The message this time was too short, too simple. Is it supposed to be a warning? Is there going to be another clue? Kyo buried his face in his hands. He thought he should retire for the night and told Muramasa that he would go back to his place. His father insisted that he stayed for the night and yet again, Kyo didn't rebel. He somehow had a bad feeling about the latest memo. Kyoshiro on the other hand was smiling like there was no tomorrow. He quietly thanked the saint of 'happy-family-dinner' for the peaceful night and for the surviving _Noritake_ set. There was no sacrifice tonight. Nothing was broken and no one chocked. Kyoshiro was glad.

Kyo went to his room. It was tidy and the sheets were fresh. Maybe his dad was anticipating this so-called sleepover. He was about to take a shower when he received a call from Bontenmaru. "What is it Bon?" he asked.

"Remember that girl you saved that night? Guess what?"

"What?"

"She is Shinrei's woman!"

"So?"

"So??? Doesn't it bother you?"

"Go home and trash yourself in bed Bon. You're starting to sound like my next door neighbour"

"Which one?"

"I only have one, meathead. I'm hanging up."

"Wait, Kyo! There's something –" The line was dead. "Damn that Kyo. He hung up on me. Ah well, although I feel like a total stalker now, I'm gonna keep watch."

Kyo threw his phone on the bed and walked to the window. "Shinrei…"


	5. Chapter 5: The Mishap

Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and the characters in it.

A/N: Chiwa'su. Oh my… it's been forever since I visit this site. Anyway, sorry for the late update. Here's Chapter 5.

**Chapter 5: The Mishap**

Kyo was lying in his bed with just a piece of towel wrapped around his waist. His hair still wet from the cold shower. He slowly massaged the bridge of his nose while thinking ridiculously of the relationship between Shinrei and Yuya? The thought of Shinrei somehow triggered some images of his past, something that Kyo had been looking for. A sudden shot of pain attacked his head. Flashes of memories suddenly appeared. Kyo saw himself as a child dressed in white, walking in a stone garden with many servants around. He was holding someone's hand but he couldn't see that person's face. Suddenly, he saw a child in prison. The memory was vague. His head was throbbing real hard. The images distorted.

"What the hell is this?! Stop! Stop!" he shrieked, pulling his hair. "Stop, damn it!"

"Kyo? Are you okay in there?" There was knocking on the door. It was Kyoshiro.

Kyo looked at the door horrifically. He was panting. He waited until he calm down before replying to Kyoshiro. "I'm..I'm fine."

"You were screaming so I thought you were – "

Kyo opened the door. " I said I'm fine. I did not scream. What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. Really. I just…. Are you… The message, who sent it?"

"That's none of your concern"

"Kyo. What's up with the message?"

Kyo just kept quiet. He was silent not because he wanted to keep it from Kyoshiro or anyone, it's because he didn't know the answer or why had he been receiving the messages. Kyo walked to the window and then asked Kyoshiro something he had never thought he would ask of him.

"Kyoshiro."

"Yes?"

" Do you remember the place where we stayed before we moved here?"

"The Mibu Main House? What about it?" Kyoshiro looked at his brother eyes filled with questions.

Kyo closed his eyes for a while and then looked at him. He wanted to ask but thought his brother might not remember much or anything at all about the past, why their mother died, why they moved here in the first place. Even Kyo himself didn't remember a thing about it. It was like his memories had been sealed.

"What? What??" Kyoshiro was at his limit. "Tell me. We're brothers aren't we?"

Kyo decided to divert the subject.

"Hmm… Anyway, the new assistant" Kyo answered.

"The new assistant? Yuya-san? What about her? Did she send you the message? What about the old house? Huh?" Kyoshiro was at the peak of his curiosity.

Kyo didn't reply. He looked annoyed with Kyoshiro's non-stop questioning and thought he shouldn't have triggered his curiosity. It's just ridiculous to tell anyone about this because the whole thing doesn't make sense at all and above all nothing actually linked to anything. Why did he suddenly remember about the Mibu Main House and his late mother? Who was the child in the prison?

"Kyo?" asked Kyoshiro.

"Huh? What? Why are you still here?"

"Wh.. Why?? Well, you were talking to me about the main house and then the new assistant and then suddenly you were like in trance. Ah.. ah… forget it. I'm going to bed," Kyoshiro yawned and walked out door. He knew he should leave before his older brother kick him out of the room.

* * *

"_You useless brat! What the hell do you think you're doing!" The voice of the shopkeeper can be heard miles away. He was too fat to chase after the little crook. The boy ran as fast as he could with two breads in his hands. Yes. It was the ones that he stole from the shop. He was only ten and nobody wanted to hire him for work but he had to live and survive this cruel world. They all thought that he was useless because he was a kid. They didn't know him and yet they judged him being incompetence. He'd love to live a normal life like other kids. He'd love a warm meal with a mother and a father together. He'd love to have his parents back._

_As he was running, a gruesome image haunted his mind. It was the scene that he could never forget. He was on the other side of the window when he saw his family being killed by the robbers. He froze when he saw his dying mother and his struggling father. He only stood there watching every little detail until the robbers left. He blamed himself for being weak._

_The fat man was nearing to the boy. The boy was surprised that the man could keep up with him. He took another turn and the man was finally out of sight. The boy tripped on a rock and fell in the lake. Suddenly he felt he was too deep in the water. He couldn't breath. He was going to die. Maybe it was a punishment for stealing the breads. Maybe it was a punishment for letting his parents being killed. He tried to swim back to the surface but something was pulling him down. _

_ "Akira… Akira…"_

_"An angel…" _he thought.

"Akira! Get up! Akira!" the voice was getting louder and now with addition to that, he felt a couple of slaps on his face. "Akira! Are you dead?!"

"A… Akari?"

"God. Are you okay? Your face was pale," said the pink-haired cross-dresser.

"What time is it now?" asked the young lad.

"Time to wake up. When I came back from the bar I saw this one lying in front of the TV," Akari pointed to the body that was spreading across the floor. He kicked 'it' softly but there was no reaction.

"He must have come in when I was asleep. Why did you wake me up so early?" Akira asked while his fingers massaging his temples.

"I saw you struggling in your sleep," Akari replied making himself comfortable on the couch next to Akira. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Akira pulled the blanket back to his head, "You reek of alcohol." Akari decided to leave him alone. He's been having these weird dreams for days.

"You should go back to your room. Don't ruin my sofa," Akari pulled down his blanket and rushed him to his room. Akira walked weakly and dived in his bed once he reached his room. "Hotaru. Hotaru!" Akari walked back to the lounge.

"Hmmmm…." Hotaru answered, eyes still shut from what seems to be a nap.

"When did you come in? Did Yuan kick you out again? Get up and go to the other bedroom. You're spreading dirt on my carpet," he dragged him across the hallway.

"Akari-chan," Hotaru suddenly spoke. Akari stopped. He knew something was wrong with Hotaru.

"I might have done something too much to upset Shinrei this time," he confessed. Akari let go of his legs. Hotaru got up and walked to the guest bedroom. "I might need to stay here for a while."

* * *

Yuya was doing her last count before closing the register. Finally, she was ready to go home after a long day. She was glad that Shinrei came to see her. It's been only a few weeks since she met him. They never missed texting each other and Yuya felt that they grew closer and closer each and everyday. Her stomach churned. _"What am I thinking? I can't be with someone like him. He's way out of my league. Why did I even think about being with him?"_ she mused.

"Yuya-chan, you can go home now," said her boss, Anri.

"Yes, Tenchou. Otsukare-sama," said Yuya while putting away her cap and apron.

"Otsukare-san," replied Anri.

It was almost 6.30 in the morning when Yuya reached her apartment. Lucky for her the restaurant was only 15 minutes away from her place. As she reached the turn to Tokiwa Street, she saw a familiar black Bentley parked across her block. An immediate reaction was drawn on her face – a frown. _"Why is he here this early??"_ Yuya was thinking of fleeing the other way but she changed her approached the car and knocked softly on the windscreen.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Kyo got out of the car.

"Is there anything you need? How did you know I'd be back by this time?" she continued.

"Is that the way to talk to you boss?" he lit a cigarette.

"I'm sleepy. Can we wait until later, boss? My shift will start at 5pm and it's only 6.30 plus in the morning?"

"I need you now. There is no shift for a personal assistant," Kyo smirked.

She let out a sigh. "At least let me shower and change first okay." Yuya walked away from the car without even looking back and cross the street to her building. She is definitely annoyed by his unpredictable nature. _"Okay, I understand the position of 'Personal Assistant' but that doesn't mean he can come anytime he wants. That's not even written in the contract!"_

When she opened the front door, she noticed some odd, buzzing noise coming from the boiler room but she was too tired to even give a damn about it. All she had in mind was to 'steal' some time to sleep before going to work. When she reached the fourth floor, she was smiling as if spring just arrived. Unfortunately, when she peeked down from the window of her apartment, her demon-boss was still there leaning against his black beauty, which only meant one thing; She can't be the 'thief' now. Yuya entered the bathroom and let the shower ran while getting her cloths ready.

The cold water from the shower awakened Yuya from her lethargic state and she was thinking of making some coffee before leaving for work. She could feel her eyes were puffy. "I need some sleep…" she said while washing her hair. She wanted to invite Kyo up for breakfast but thought again that he might actually rejected her right in her face for the second time. She remembered the last time he sent her home after the thugs incident...

"_Do you want to come up? For coffee at least," Yuya asked politely._

_ "In that dump? Not in this lifetime," he replied bluntly._

The thought of it made her really want to go to bed and ignore that man. She didn't even care if he had to drag her out from this 'dump' as he mentioned. The day Kyo would come up to her apartment would be the day when cats grew horns. But then again, she can't afford to be fired anymore so she could just dream about it.

Kyo who suddenly came here without any reason decided to convince himself that his action was seriously unintended. _"Not that I'm here to check on Dogface or anything like that. It was pure coincidence."_ He needed some kind of distraction from whatever he had in mind because he couldn't sleep the whole night. He was just driving around aimlessly and the next thing he knew he was already in Tokiwa Street. He thought that he might find out some sort of a hint or a clue that actually led to something related to the message he received last night.

A sudden explosion from the lowest ground of Yuya's apartment robbed Kyo from his mind maze. His face was all pale when he heard another blast. The explosions were followed by an enormous flame which spread rapidly to the upper side of the building. _"Dogface!"_

The blast shocked her to death. When Yuya came out of the bathroom, she saw black smoke coming in from under her front door. She realized the entire building was on fire. Yuya 's mind went blank and there was no time to calm down. She put on whatever was on sight and gathered whatever she can get and dump it in her backpack. She tried to open the front door but the door was jam. _"Shit! Shit! I can't die here. Not yet. I can't die now!"_ She tried to kick the door but it won't budge. She thought of jumping out the window but the idea was suicidal. The smoke that gathered in her room was already too thick and she was chocking on it. She gave up. She was on her knees and her tears were unstoppable. _"Nozomu…"_

"Dogface! Dogface!" She heard from outside her door. Yuya's flooded eyes opened wide. "Kyo…. Kyo!" she screamed banging on the door.

"Get away from the door!" he told her. Yuya moved away and Kyo kicked it from the other side a couple of times before it broke down. Yuya saw Kyo standing in the thick black smoke. _"Perhaps cats do grow horns…" _she reminded herself, relieved that he came to save her, for the second time. She could 'feel' her heart smiling.

"What the hell are you doing still sitting there woman?"

She couldn't move. She was paralyzed. The last thing she heard was the siren and then she blacked out.

* * *

"Yuya-san. Yuya-san"

Yuya opened her yes slowly. "Yu..Yukimura-san"

"Thank God. You're awake now. You've been sleeping for 2 days," said Yukimura.

"Owh…My things!" She sat up abruptly. "Nozomu!" She suddenly exclaimed. Her gaze shifted to the figure sitting on the couch.

"Glad to see you're all well now. I'll see you at work later," he said with a stoic face.

"You've got to be kidding right, Kyo-san. She doesn't even have anything with her right now. At least give her a few more days to find a place to stay and some clothes to wear," Yukimura said to Kyo hoping he would show some compassion towards Yuya.

"She's been sleeping for two days. How much longer does she need to rest? She looks fine to me. She got until 5 to find a place to stay," he told Yukimura. Kyo walked to the door, stopped and then turned to Yuya, "I'm expecting you to be at the office at 5pm sharp. This is an order." The door closed behind him.

"Kyo-san can be a demon sometimes. Correction, he is a demon. Anyway Yuya-san, I don't know who to contact when you were hospitalized. When Kyo-san told me you were here I tried to look in your application form for contact person in case of emergency but you left it blank. Is there any relative or friends that should know your situation right now?" Yukimura asked Yuya who's currently is the state of shock after losing her home and how inconsiderate Kyo was. "Yuya-san?"

"Sorry. Er.. no. I don't have any relatives here."

"Hmm. I will help you find a place to stay for the time being. Maybe the trainees' hostel, but I'm not sure if there is any room available. Maybe, I will talk to Kyo-san or Muramasa-san about placing you at one of the empty room at the top floor of the office," Yukimura suggested.

"Thank you Yukimura-san. That's so kind of you," she got out of bed and went to the closet. "Is this all I got?" she asked.

"That's the only thing that Kyo-san brought with him," Yukimura replied.

"Kyo brought it?"

"Yeah. He went back to that apartment after the fire was put out to take other things that…. well… could be saved," Yukimura told her. "By the way, I have to go back to the office now, Yuya-san. I believe you have classes today. But Kosuke went to the university to and settled everything, so you're excuse until your next class. So you don't have to worry about that. Since you're discharged today, you can just go to Mibu Tower and we'll talk about this later ok," he continued.

"Okay. Thank you again, Yukimura-san," she bowed and Yukimura left.

"Well, at least there are still people who are nice to me," she told herself. She searched for any clothes that might be a little appropriate to go to work, but all she could find was a pair of maroon sweatpants and a white spaghetti strap. She let out a sigh. "What? Not even a cardigan? This…. I can't wear this."


	6. Chapter 6: The Company

**Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo and the characters in it. **

A/N: I've been sooooo busy lately. Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!

**Chapter 6: The Company**

Yuya found herself standing in front of Mibu Tower. She didn't feel like going in with what she was wearing, not to mention she had no undergarment on. She let out yet another long sigh. She walked directly to the lift but the guards stopped her from proceeding. _"Surely they don't recognize me, especially when I look like someone who was just released from the prison." _Frustrated, she carried her ash-covered bags and headed towards the receptionist.

"Hi. I'm Shiina Yuya. I'm Mibu Kyo's personal assistant. Erm.. Could you please lend me a visitor's pass – "

"Yuya-han?" a voice greeted her from the back. She turned and found Benitora walking towards her.

"Benitora-san. Good morning," she greeted.

"What are you doing here so early? What's with the bags?" Benitora asked her.

"I just got discharged from the hospital. I'm supposed to meet Yukimura-san but the guards won't let me in. I lost my pass," she replied while they walk towards the lift.

"You were in the hospital?" asked Benitora.

Yuya didn't want to tell him everything since she herself is having a hard time trying to digest the whole thing. After enough pestering from Benitora, she finally told him.

"Owhh… Yuya-han. Cheer up. Shit happens you know. If there is anything you need, just tell me okay?," he told her.

"Thanks, Benitora-san," she managed to fixed a smile. Telling Benitora didn't exactly make her feel any better. Instead she could feel that he took pity on her. Something she had long forgotten after years of living on her own.

"Please. Just Tora," said Benitora. "Anyway, how many days were you in the hospital?"

"I think it – " before she could start, they arrived at the top floor. Yukimura and Saizo were standing in front of the door.

"Ah!" said Yukimura smiling. "You're here. I was about to go and pick you up from the hospital. How did you get here?"

"I… I took the cab," she told him while adjusting her bagpack. She didn't want to tell him that she actually walked from the hospital.

"Now that Yukimura-han is here, I'm gonna go back to Mahiro. Er.. I mean, work. Later Yuya-han," Benitora strolled to the opposite way.

"Bye," Yuya replied.

"Anyway, regarding the room, I tried to ask Muramasa-san about it. He wants to talk to you about it himself," said Yukimura.

"Mura.. Muramasa-san wants to meet me? But I'm not wearing anything decent, Yukimura-san," Yuya stopped abruptly.

"Don't worry. Muramasa-san would understand," he took her hand and practically dragged her to Muramasa's room.

Yukimura knocked on the door and opened it, pushing Yuya in before he entered himself. In the room, Yuya saw Kyo, Kyoshiro, Kosuke and Muramasa. She hadn't thanked him from saving her life for the second time. As always, Kyo had that cold look fixated on his face as if everything in the world annoyed him. She didn't dare say a word, but she thought she should wait until they are alone.

"Yuya-san, I'm sorry to hear about what happened. Have a sit," Muramasa ushered her to sit next to Kyoshiro. "Kosuke, please get us some tea," he continued.

"Yes, Muramasa-sama," replied Kosuke and made her way out to the pantry.

"How are you feeling Yuya-san?" asked Kyoshiro.

"Much better. Thank you," Yuya replied.

Muramasa walked to his sit and everyone turned to him. "We were discussing about where Yuya-san can stay for the time being. Mibu's trainees' hostels are not available at the moment so Yukimura had requested a room for you here at the tower, but I couldn't agree with his idea. It would be dangerous for a girl like you to stay alone in this building."

"Owh, it's okay. Don't worry about it. Really. I can find a place on my own. "

"No, Yuya-san. You are our employee. We have to help you do something about it. I've also asked the others, Mahiro and Kosuke. It seems like their place are unavailable too. BUT! – ," Muramasa was finally going to reveal his 'awesome' idea when Yukimura interrupted.

"You asked them already? And they said their places aren't available? That's weird," Yukimura creased his forehead.

"Of course I have, and yes, they saidtheir places are _unavailable_," emphasizing the word, he smiled to Yukimura. Obviously, Yukimura didn't get it. "We have to have a place for Yuya-san as soon as possible," Muramasa continued.

"Er… Actually, I can manage on my own. Please, don't worry about it," Yuya had to say something. She really didn't want them to be worried about her and she didn't want to be a burden to anyone. Kyo who found this pretty annoying, stood up and walked to the door.

"Kyo, we're not done here," his father told him.

"Why do I have to be here? It's not even related to me. I'm sure she can manage. She said it herself," he retorted. Muramasa sighed.

Kyo looked at his father and walked back to his seat. He cannot stand it when his father started to give him that look. Muramasa was well aware of his reaction but somehow, Kyo got a little better at controlling his temper. "So? What do you have in mind?" Kyo finally asked.

"Well, I've thought about this the whole night. Maybe Yuya-san can stay with you for the time being," he continued.

"WHAT?" all four of them exclaimed.

"Are you serious, Father?" Kyoshiro found it amusing.

"Shachou! That's a great idea!" Yukimura agreed on it.

"Right? " said Muramasa with a smile on his face. He couldn't help but chuckled. Yuya looked like she had been electrocuted so Muramasa tried to calm her down. "Don't worry Yuya-san, it's going to be temporary and I can assure you my son is not as bad as how he might appear to be."

_"Not as bad as I appear to be?" _Kyo was pretty pissed with the statement but kept his cool. "What makes you think that I'll let her stay with me? Why don't you just take her in yourself? That house is bigger and there are plenty of extra rooms."

"Take me in? I'm not some domestic cat that you can keep as a pet," Yuya was pretty mad herself.

"Well, you're dogface. 'Nuff said," he smirked.

"Kyo," Muramasa looked at him seriously. Kyo couldn't say no to his father when he was in serious mode. He tried to look at it in a positive way. It's not like it's the first time he had a girl in his apartment. Well, not this kind of reason of course. He came up with a better idea.

"I have some terms," he tried to negotiate with his father.

Muramasa put his hands on the table. "Let's hear it."

Kyo then turned to Yuya, "I'm sure you can't afford to pay rent. So, I'm offering you a job. Another part-time job or maybe a full time job."

Yuya blinked in surprise. "A job? Wh.. What kind of job?" She was already having all sort of ridiculous thoughts. "I will refuse anything that is morally wrong," she blurted.

"Huh? What do you mean 'morally wrong'? What makes you think that I would do _anything_ to a flat-chested, dogface like you? You watched too much TV," he replied in disbelief. _"This woman really works her imagination to the max"_ he thought. "Hmm… here's my condition. I will make you my servant. You will do chores for me, cook, clean, do things that I ask you to do. I will pay you in return as it is a job that I'm offering," he said it straight to the point.

"Your what?," Yuya exclaimed.

"Do you really want me to say it twice?"

Yuya sighed quietly and buried her face in her hands. Now she felt worse than domestic cats. "_Why did it come to this? I did not beg for sympathy. In fact – Wait. Did he say he will pay me? This might not be so bad. He can't do weird things to me too. There are many witnesses here who will guarantee my safety. I hope…"_

"Take it or leave it, woman," Kyo looked at her and stood up.

Muramasa couldn't stop himself from laughing quietly at them both going at each other. He knew this would be something good for Kyo. Yukimura didn't expect it to turn out to be this interesting and Kyoshiro thought that Kyo would be really happy to have someone who could replace Shima-bachan. Yuya on the other hand needed a place to stay, so it did turn out pretty well.

"Fine but I have my own terms and conditions too," Yuya finally voiced out. "The pay… How much are we talking?" her cheeks were red when this one came out. She just couldn't say no to money. Kyo grinned.

* * *

The cloudy weather reflected Shinrei's mood. The news he received from one of the Mibu servants two days ago was really unpleasant. It's more disturbing when he couldn't call her. His mind was shadowed by many horrible thoughts. He couldn't move a muscle and was crippled in bed because his heart was ripped apart. While Shinrei fought with his disastrous emotion, Fubuki's day was filled with pleasure despite the gloomy day.

"Another living clue incinerated," he said to himself.

"Don't be too please about it. We know she's still alive. We still don't know who did it. As far as I know, we didn't send those servants to burn the whole building. I specifically told them to kidnap her and then we would interrogate her and find out how much she knew about 'it'," said Hishigi.

"You just ruined my castle in the sky. We'll thank that person later, whoever that is. Even if she survives, we'll just send some servants to abduct her. But for now, she must be suffering alone out there and vulnerable," Fubuki smiled. "How's Shinrei doing?" he continued.

"He still locked himself in his room. We need him to go out and find her sooner or later. It's his 'job'," Hishigi replied.

"You're as mean as ever, Hishigi. Give him a break will ya," Yuan, another one of the Mibu kin entered the room.

Settling himself with a cup of tea Hishigi turned to Yuan. "Are you here looking for Keikoku?"

"Ah, well. That's part of it. He didn't return to the dojo since 2 days ago. I assumed he was here," replied Yuan.

"He is not here. You should really take care of your apprentice Yuan," Fubuki told him. "Now, putting that aside. What are we going to do with Muramasa and that 'child'? Sooner or later, the seal will wear off," he continued.

* * *

Kyo parked his car and turned off the engine. He got out of the car and walked to the elevator. There were another black four wheel drive and a white SLK parked next to Kyo's Bentley.

_"This place is too classy, I'm about to hurl."_ Yuya looked at Kyo's back and frowned. _"He could at least help us with the bags!"_ she thought to herself. Kyoshiro unloaded her luggage from Kyo's car and they both tagged along behind Kyo to the elevator. Kyo swiped a black card over a sensor and entered a few numbers before they could enter the elevator. They arrived in his apartment a few seconds later. _"WOW. So this elevator only goes to his apartment. What complex security they got there."_

"This is the access card for this elevator which only goes here. I'll let you know the password," Kyo told her and gave her a black access card.

"Is this mine?" she asked.

"Of course it's yours now that you're gonna live here. It is the universal card. This access card has your name on it. You can use it to open any door in the house. It keeps a log of which door you have accessed," Kyoshiro told her. "Each door in Kyo's house is locked unless the central reader detects his card, it will all be accessible. So you might want to bring this everywhere in the house if he is not around. This guy is very complicated," he continued with a smile.

Kyoshiro and Yuya put the bags down. "Do you have one too, Kyoshiro?" Yuya asked him.

"I only have the guest access card. Oh, Here," he handed her another card. "This one will be for the public elevator. You know, the one in the lobby. You can also use the universal key, the black card, for the public elevator and also to open the front door but you can't use this white one to open the front door. If you forgot to bring the universal key, then you'll have to wait for Kyo to come home to get in," he gave out a small laugh.

"Ah… all these security talk is giving me so much pressure," she told him. "Where is Kyo?" she asked.

"He's probably in his room already. I'm sorry you have to go through all these Yuya-san but this is only going to be temporary," he looked at her. "Let's go to your room." Kyoshiro grabbed her hands and walked up the stairs. Yuya followed his lead. She was blushing all the way up. _"Shinrei hasn't held my hand yet… Oh gosh, snap out of it Yuya!"_ She grunted. _"I haven't contacted him since the incident. He must be worried."_

"Yu.. Yuya-san, are you okay?"

"Huh? Ah.. ahahhaha.. yeah.. yeah…" Yuya replied.

Yuya was amazed at how huge Kyo's place was. It was a gorgeous 2-storey unit which Yuya thought might be too big for a guy to live in all by himself but she also thought that this place really suits him. Kyoshiro led her to her room. The room was bigger than her old apartment. The bed was huge, there was another room attached to it in which Yuya thought must be the wardrobe, even the bathroom was bigger than her old room. She sat down on the bed and ran her fingers on the silky sheet.

"This is it Yuya-san. Is it too small for you? I told Kyo to let you use the other bigger room but he thinks you should stay next to his room so it's easier for him to call you when he needs you. That Kyo…" Kyoshiro sighed.

"K… Kyo's room is next door?" Yuya exclaimed.

"Why are you so excited? Do you plan to sneak in my bed at night?" Kyo was standing at her door.

"Wh… what are you talking about? There is no way on earth I will ever do that," Yuya shrieked. She cleared her throat, "Is.. is there any manual lock from the inside of this room that can prevent you from coming in?"

"Why should there be any? This is my house. I can go in and out of any room as I like. Now, put away all your things and prepare some dinner. I'm already starving," he walked out.

"Can you at least let me arrange my – "

"Now."

Yuya sighed.

Kyo went back to his room. His life should be getting a bit better now with the new helper. He hadn't received any crazy messages lately. The person who had been screwing up with him must be bored already. He opened his drawer and took out the last message he received. "Nero" was the clue. He gave it a deep thought. _"The fire... Were they after Yuya? Fire is definitely associated to Nero. If this one was settled, then I should be getting a new message. Or maybe, it's over. But why her?" _ There was a knock on the door.

"What is it?" he said.

"Umm… there is nothing in the fridge except beer or rather, there is nothing in the kitchen. What do you want for dinner? I'll go out and do some groceries." It was Yuya. Kyo definitely had an 'empty' kitchen. Since Shima-bachan quit, the fridge was only filled with beer.

"I'll go with you. I'll be downstairs in a minute," he told her.

* * *

Muramasa wasn't expecting any guest that night but when Shihoudo came, he was more than happy to see her. Even though sometimes she would annoy him by telling him unnecessary things like 'Get a wife already' or 'Aren't you lonely' or 'You and Julian should go out 'fishing' at bars' or things like that. Nevertheless, he enjoyed her company most of the time.

"Here's something for you," she handed him a bag.

"It's not Christmas yet. But thank you," Muramasa smiled.

Shihoudo strode slowly towards the living room. "So I only give you presents during Christmas? Where are the kids?"

"Well yes, you only give me presents during Christmas. Kyo is at his own place. Kyoshiro was there to help him out with the new helper but I guess he should be home soon," he replied.

"New helper?"

Muramasa poured some hot tea in a cup and handed it to Shihoudo, "Yes. Shiina Yuya."

"Muramasa. You've planned this all along didn't you?"

"It just came falling in place. Did you know that she is currently working part-time as Kyo's personal assistant? Hmm.. I guess I forgot to tell you that bit. Do you believe in fate and karma Shihoudo?" Muramasa told her. Shihoudo didn't say a word.

"A few days ago, her apartment caught fire. The fire incident was just a mere warning from them. They have made their move, Shihoudo. It is better we keep her safe," Muramasa put a hand on his chin. "It is best for her to live with Kyo"

Shihoudo frowned, "You should also be reminded that sooner or later Kyo's memory will come back. If it happens, what are you going to do?"

"What can I do? I'm just his guardian," he replied solemnly. "But you know, I do love him like my own son. Both of them. Sooner or later they need to know the truth and return to where they really belong."

"Ah… all these talk is making me hungry. Anything good for dinner? Oh… did I tell you about Julian's new song?" Shihoudo changed the subject. They both sensed a present. Kyoshiro was behind the door listening to their conversation. His heart was beating so fast after hearing most of it. What were they talking about? He needed to know more. He considered about telling Kyo about it, but he realized he should find out more before telling his brother especially about the sealed memories.

* * *

The fish looked too big for Yuya to handle and she was actually not good with the seafood department. She walked towards the meat section instead. She looked around for Kyo who wandered off to get some wine. "Guess I should just get the meat to make some stew and maybe roast for the next couple of days. Which means, I also need to get some potatoes and carrots and –"

"Are you done?" Kyo asked carrying a few packs of beer with him.

"I'm going to make beef stew and I'll get some other ingredients for the rest of the week. Are you okay with that?"

"Whatever. Just hurry up," he replied stashing the packs in the cart.

"O..Okay," Yuya rushed towards the veggie section, grabbed some other things she needed and then headed towards the counter. Kyo was there holding a couple of French breads with him.

"Kyo. I'm done," Yuya told him.

"Well, go get in line woman. Here," Kyo passed the bread to her.

"It's YU-YA," she scowled and then pushed her cart to an empty lane.

"Good evening," said the lady behind the counter.

"Good evening," replied Yuya while getting her things out from the cart. The lady behind the counter kept on staring at Kyo.

"Is that your husband?" she suddenly asked Yuya.

"WHO? No!" she exclaimed. "Why?"

"He's a fine looking man," the lady told Yuya and smiled at Kyo.

Yuya rolled her eyes while putting the things in the eco bag. _"He only LOOKS fine. Not until you know the REAL him._" Kyo paid for the groceries and then left Yuya carrying all the things. _"Again, he only looks fine but he's a real demon"_ Yuya kept telling herself. She wished she could announce it to the whole world.

When Kyo reached the car, he saw a blue envelope with his name written on it left on the wiper of his car. His annoyance was back. He took it and quickly slipped it in his pocket. He turned around and saw Yuya struggling with the groceries. He walked back and helped her with the groceries.

"Hurry up, woman," he told her.

"If you were to help me from the beginning I would have reached the car in seconds," she retorted.

* * *

Akari was muttering curses under his breath when the boys asked his to cook them dinner. He was taking out some vegetables and meat from the fridge when he heard a knocking on the door. It was Bontenmaru.

"Bon! You saved me! Did you bring any dinner?" he asked rapidly.

"No. Why?"

"Akira and Hotaru wanted me to cook nabe!" he exclaimed. He leaned closer to Bontenmaru and whispered, "To tell you the truth, I know nothing about making nabe. Hotaru said, if I don't know how to make nabe, that means, I can't be a woman!"

Bontenmaru looked at him, "Akari… You can't be a woman even if you know how to make nabe. You're born a man…. Tokichiro"

Akari threw a bowl at his direction and it crashed on the wall. "Say that again and I'll kill you!"

"Okay… Okay… I get it. Let's go to Kyo's. I heard he got a new helper. Maybe she can help us with the nabe."

"A new helper? A woman? We should go now! I must see this new helper," said Akari. "Akira! Hotaru! We're going to have nabe at Kyo's house!"

"Kyo?" said both.

The doorbell rang a few times. Yuya took off her apron and opened the door. There were three men and a woman standing in front of her. She only recognized Bontenmaru. The tall pinked haired woman walked closer to her and bent down.

"Is Kyo home?" said Akari

"Yes. Please come in," Yuya moved aside to let them through.

"I'm Akari. This is Akira and Hotaru and –"

"Hello. I'm Shiina Yuya. I'll get Kyo," she told them.

"Don't bother. Anyway, Yuya-chan. Can you help me with something?" Akari dragged her to the kitchen. "Do you know how to make…. Nabe?"

_"Chan? She's being so familiar with me,"_ Yuya thought. "Na… nabe…? Yes. I know how to make nabe," Yuya replied.

"Ahh… That's good. Make us nabe for dinner!" Akari pat her back.

Hotaru suddenly appeared behind them. "Akari-chan, you have to do it yourself or else you won't be a full –"

"What are you guys doing here?" Kyo came down the stairs with a towel on his head.

"Kyo darling!" Akari ran towards him. "Haven't seen you in like… forever! How's my baby doing?"

"Akari! Please behave yourself! Kyo, how are you? Sorry to barge in like this. It was Bon's idea," Akira finally spoke.

"What? All of you wanted to eat nabe. I just stated my idea," Bon defended himself.

"Is dinner ready?" Kyo walked to the kitchen.

Yuya was stirring something in the pot. "I made stew, but they wanted nabe."

"Stew is fine," said Hotaru.

"It's… It's okay, Yuya-san. Stew is just fine," said Akira.

"Okay… I didn't know Kyo was having guests tonight. I'll get things ready so, please wait in the living room. I'll serve some drinks," said Yuya.

"I'll help her," Hotaru pushed the others out of the kitchen.

**Please read and review. It's a bit shorter than usual. I'll try my best for the next chapter.**


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